Heat, Spurs tied at halftime in Game 4

Published June 13, 2013

| Sports Network

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San Antonio, TX – Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are playing to their potential in Game 4, but Tony Parker has shaken an injury and has the San Antonio Spurs within striking distance of taking a commanding lead in the NBA Finals.

Thursday's first half has been a game of runs, with both teams seeing double-
digit leads erased and the score fittingly tied at 49-49 at the break.

Erik Spoelstra made a switch in Miami's starting lineup, swapping Udonis
Haslem with the red-hot Mike Miller, but it was the play of James and Wade
that has Miami looking like a different team than it did just two days ago.

James is getting any shot he wants, pouring in 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting
after averaging less than 17 points per game over the first three tilts.

Wade has been all over the floor, as the 2006 Finals MVP has filled the box
score with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

But Wade has been solid in the first half before in this series and no-
showed after the break. Miami's entire team might as well of not played in the
second half of Game 3, as the Spurs rolled the defending champs en route to a
36-point shellacking and a 2-1 series lead.

Parker has not been limited by a hamstring strain he suffered in Game 3, as
the All-Star point guard has 15 points and six assists. Tim Duncan, Gary Neal
and Boris Diaw all have seven points for San Antonio, which has committed 10
turnovers.

After hitting a Finals record 16 3-pointers Tuesday, the Spurs stayed hot from
long range in the early going, hitting their first three attempts with Kawhi
Leonard's triple giving them a 15-5 lead 4:50 into the game.

Instead of settling for jumpers, the Heat erased their deficit by getting to
the foul line and working the ball inside for efficient shots.

James scored on the block on consecutive possessions to tie the game, 19-19,
then gave the visitors their first lead at 23-21 on an open 19-footer with
just over two minutes left in the opening frame.

Miami took a 29-26 lead into the second quarter and pushed its edge to 41-31
when Wade cleaned up a James miss with seven minutes left in the half.

The Spurs, though, led by Parker and Diaw, ended the half on an 11-2 run to
even things.

Miami's Chris Bosh, who has eight points, had a dunk waived off just before
the horn.